SEG 45 Final_qx4 - Society of Economic Geologists

4 SEG NEWSLETTER No 55 • OCTOBER 2003
PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE
Planning for the Future of SEG
Thanks to the hard work of many individuals,
the SEG Council is moving forward
with strategies to better fulfill our
mission. We invited SEG Foundation
trustees and other SEG leaders to participate
in the Council’s strategic planning
session on Saturday, May 24, immediately
before the Geological Association
of Canada annual meeting in
Vancouver. I’m pleased to report that
we came to agreement on a new strategic
plan for SEG, and we assigned a
number of important tasks to existing
and ad hoc committees. Over the last
three years, during the presidencies of
David Groves and Hugo Dummett, we
have had many meetings and e-mail
exchanges to formulate a workable
strategic plan. I have gained appreciation
for the breadth of our members’
opinions on what they see as important
programs and directions for SEG. In
Vancouver, we settled on the following
mission statement, which focuses on the
key duties of SEG:
“The Society of Economic Geologists
is an international society committed to
excellence in the science, discovery, documentation,
interpretation, evaluation,
and responsible development of mineral
resources and to the professional
development of its members. The
Society supports the professional and
scientific needs of its members, the mineral-resource
and related environmental
requirements of society, and the
growth and application of the science of
economic geology. We do this chiefly
through our services and programs
that:
• Support research on mineral
resources and related areas of science;
• Disseminate information concerning
science and its application to exploration
and mineral-resource development
and production;
• Encourage members to promote sustainable
mineral-resource production
for the benefit of society; and
• Encourage, maintain, and support
high standards in research, publications,
and applications of the science
of geology to mineral resources.”
of an SEG strategic planning panel
(excellence, responsiveness, diversity,
accountability, cooperative relationships,
learning and innovation), and we added
another principle, volunteerism. We
then focused on goals for membership,
governance, services and products, outreach,
and financial viability. The full
text of the statements of mission, principles,
and goals are posted on the Web,
at .
The plan also includes strategies and
tactics for accomplishing the goals, or
at least making good progress within
the next three years. To do so, several
committees are addressing specific
tasks. The committees will report on
their progress and make recommendations
for consideration by the Council.
An ad hoc committee on membership,
chaired by Bill Chavez, is addressing
ways to increase, upgrade, and diversify
the SEG membership on a cost-effective
basis, with specific attention paid to
membership fees, subscriptions to the
Newsletter, enhanced services to members,
use of the Web as a recruiting tool,
measurable goals for membership, student
membership, stimulating volunteerism,
identifying appropriate members
to be promoted to Fellow status,
and possible corporate membership.
The Program Committee, also chaired
by Bill Chavez,
has the task of
scheduling an
appropriate mix
of SEG technical
sessions and conferences,
including
stand-alone
economic geology
symposia, fieldoriented
conferences, and meetings with
other organizations, assuring that students
are encouraged to participate in
all SEG meetings, short courses, workshops,
and field trips.
The Executive Committee is charged
with proposing appropriate changes to
the SEG bylaws to assure the best leadership;
reviewing strategic alliances
with other organizations; providing
guidelines to organizers of meetings,
workshops, short courses, and field trips;
defining SEG’s appropriate role in outreach
to the public; proposing a process
for adoption of policies and position
statements; and proposing specific position
statements. Brian Hoal, SEG’s
Executive Director, is charged with
assuring that SEG’s fundraising efforts
for special conferences, publications,
student support, and other programs
are coordinated.
The Publication
Board, chaired by Sam
JONATHAN G. PRICE
SEG President
2003
to page 5 ...
We readopted “principles” or philosophical
underpinnings of the Society,
which were articulated in a 1997 report
Brian Hoal, SEG Executive Director, Ross Large, President-Elect, and Jeff Hedenquist, Past
Vice President for Regional Affairs, demonstrate in Vancouver that, like good wine, a little
strategic planning can, in fact, be good for you.